Final answer:
A seven-digit phone number is most likely to be stored in a person's short-term memory, which has a capacity of around 7 plus or minus 2. Strategies like chunking and elaborative rehearsal can help to remember phone numbers by organizing and associating information.
Step-by-step explanation:
A person is most likely to store a seven-digit phone number in his or her short-term memory (STM). George Miller's classic research concluded that the capacity of STM is typically around the "magic number" 7 plus or minus 2. However, contemporary findings by Cowan suggest a slightly lower capacity of 4 plus or minus 1. Numbers are often retained better than letters, and acoustic encoding can be superior to visual encoding.
To enhance the retention of a phone number, strategies such as chunking and elaborative rehearsal may be employed. Chunking involves breaking down information into smaller, more manageable units, like separating a phone number into segments (e.g., 520-555-0467). Elaborative rehearsal can further aid memory by associating new information with knowledge that is already stored in our memory, like associating the area code with a particular location.
It is crucial to note that if information is retained long enough in STM, it may transition into long-term memory, where it could potentially be stored indefinitely. Mnemonic devices can also be effective tools for remembering larger bits of information and transferring them from short-term to long-term memory.